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Im Schloss der Geheimnisse
This is a short story from ''The Kremlin Chronicles''.'' Told from the perspective of West German pensioner and former Wehrmacht soldier Ludwig Holbrecht. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Far from the battlefields in the German state of Hesse was the picturesque Bavarian town of Rosenheim, located at the foot of the mighty German Alps, and near the shores of the river Inn. During the summer months, lush green pastures and treetops decorated the surroundings of the six hundred year-old town, replete with centuries-old shops, churches and beer halls. The town's quiet and peaceful disposition made it an unlikely target for foreign CIA agents in their efforts to defeat the Soviet war machine. Among the inhabitants of Rosenheim was cabinetmaker Ludwig Holbrecht, a short, stout and quiet man who divided his time between his wood shop during the week, and church service on weekends. Like all Germans of a certain age, he was painfully aware of the realities of war, yet maintained a tight lip about his experiences. However, Holbrecht had been identified during a CIA investigation as a person of interest, as he had been amongst the last people to have seen potential CIA asset Helmut Schuldiger, a former SS intelligence officer with an intimate knowledge of Soviet martial strategy. As such, agents Arturo Segovia and Ethan Burke had been dispatched to interrogate the senior German tradesman in an undisclosed location. :- "Herr Holbrecht, we have identified you as one of the last people to have spoken to this man, Helmut Schuldiger." Burke told Holbrecht as he slid a black-and-white photo of Schuldiger. :- "I don't know, that I can help you two." replied Holbrecht with a pronounced Bavarian accent. :- "Schuldiger was last seen in May of 1945 in Flammenberg Castle, an American GI said so years ago, he mentioned your name specifically. Can you tell us more about this?" Suddenly Holbrecht looked away from Burke, and stared into the distance as the memories from that day raced through his mind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :''May 11, 1945 :Vorarlberg, Austria :0400 Hours Not but three days ago, Germany had officially surrendered to the Allies. At the same time, a retreating force of five Wehrmacht deserters fled through the Alps from the encroaching Red Army; seeking to surrender instead to the Americans. The five soldiers, all young conscripts in the Wehrmacht 1st Mountain Division, were all of Austrian or Bavarian origins, born to devout Catholic families still grounded in monarchist ideals - no ties or sympathies to the Nazi regime - and all raised no more than 200 kilometres from each other. As infantrymen, they had partaken in almost all major engagements against the Red Army since the start of the war, and after six years of fighting alongside each other, their strong bond would be tested by the two-week trek across Eastern Europe. Their names were Ludwig Holbrecht, Carl Swoboda, Sepp Riedelmaier, Alois Rucknagl and Kaspar Sauerbrunner. :- "We're 10 kilometres West of Bregenz. We can seek refuge there." Kaspar said. :- "Don't count your chickens until they hatch, Kaspar, for all we know we could be sitting ducks in Bregenz. We must keep walking until we can surrender to the Americans." replied Alois. Meanwhile, Carl and Sepp spotted a grey castle to the west, at the foot of the mountain where they stood - it was the old Castle Flammenberg: built as a fortress roughly 700 years ago, and refitted as a prison during the start of the war. :- "Look, in the windows. Are those swastika banners?" Carl asked. :- "Most definitely." Sepp replied, looking through a pair of binoculars. :- "The castle must have been abandoned. We can seek refuge there for the night before continuing our westward advance." Carl suggested. :- "It's too risky, what if it's a trap?" Sepp uttered. :- "Well, then we surrender to the Allies." :- "What if it's the Russians? They'll kill us, send us to labour camps." :- "In Bregenz? You're getting paranoid, Sepp. They would not have gone further than Prussia." Soon enough, the five conscripts - weakened by two weeks of walking day and night - were arguing about whether or not to enter the castle. :- "I'm on Carl's side. We could find food and water in there, and protect ourselves from the elements. We're well past the Russian lines now, so we should not worry about a Russian trap." Ludwig stated. :- "It is way too risky, we must continue around the castle. Do not stop until we encounter the Americans." Alois reacted. As the arguing continued, Kaspar decided that he will not continue the journey to surrender to the Americans, as he was nearing exhaustion and his feet were covered in blisters. :- "There's no point in continuing walking, we're already near a city safe from the Russians, and where we can blend in with civilians. I'm at the end of my tether, I am walking to Bregenz. If anybody else comes you are welcome to do so." :- "Kaspar, don't--" Sepp beckoned. Kaspar refused adamantly to continue walking westward, whether he stayed in the castle or continued walking past it was all the same to him. His comrades tried to change his mind, but he would ultimately walk away from the group, hoping to reach Bregenz by sunrise. :- "Let him go, friends. He knows what's best for him, and if that means going to Bregenz, then so be it." Ludwig said. :- "Kaspar, before you go, let me bid you goodbye. It was an honour serving with you, and I hope we cross paths again." Alois said, embracing Kaspar and slapping his left cheek in a friendly manner. :- "Same to you, Alois. I'll pray for you all when I get to Bregenz." :- "Hey Kaspar, take this for the journey. I owed you some from months ago." Sepp handed Kaspar his last ration of hardtack, which he accepted affably. Kaspar walked away from the group, heading down a steep path to a nearby valley, from which he followed an unpaved road to Bregenz. Despite being in agonizing pain due to the injuries on his feet, Kaspar walked at a steadfast pace, knowing that peace and tranquility awaited in Bregenz. "No more than three hours until I can finally close my eyes." he thought to himself. Throughout the course of his trek, he disposed of most of his equipment to make for a lighter trip, save for his Mauser carbine, for which he only had two more clips of ammunition. In the distance, Kaspar heard the nearby humming of a diesel engine, which prompted him to steer clear from the road and hide behind one of the trees that lined the road. Suspecting the sound to come from an Allied truck, Kaspar peered out of the tree to verify, but was blinded by high beam headlights as the vehicle turned around a sharp curve. As he stood out of cover, blinded by the high beams, he heard the humming come to a halt. He quickly returned to cover, and then heard German voices approaching. Before he had time to react, he found himself surrounded by three armed men clad in rare Leibermuster camouflage jackets and standard-issue steel helmets, but no Nazi markings or insignia. When Kaspar's vision recovered, he locked eyes with one of the three mysterious combatants, who immediately offered a big smile upon seeing Kaspar's Wehrmacht uniform. :- "Komm! Marschiere vorwärts, lieb' Landser." (Come! March forwards, dear soldier) The three men dragged Kaspar out to the road, and pushed him forwards as they taunted him by pressing the barrels of their submachine guns on his back. Kaspar was taken in front of a middle-aged officer - a towering, slender man with piercing blue eyes, pale skin and pencil thin lips - clad in a black SS officer's uniform, not standard attire since the mid-1930s. :- "Heil Hitler." bid the officer. :- "Heil Hitler..." Kaspar said, reluctantly. :- "State your business in this area, soldier." :- "Very good, soldier. We shan't bother you anymore. Come on, men, onwards with our journey!" :- "Where are you heading?" :- "That is - to put it bluntly - none of your business." the officer drawled out his words slowly as he reached into his holster, drawing a Mauser 7.65mm pistol. Kaspar noticed the gun, but had no time to react. The officer pulled the trigger of his Mauser pistol, shooting Kaspar in the gut. Kaspar collapsed to the ground, looking up at the officer in shock, who then finished him off by shooting him squarely in the forehead. The mysterious troop boarded the truck again, and continued driving down the same road Kaspar had been walking along just moments ago. Kaspar's lifeless body lay in the middle of the road, his eyes still displaying a frightened expression. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ludwig Holbrecht looked directly at his interrogators, Burke and Segovia. Roughly 34 years after the death of his comrade, Holbrecht still felt just as responsible for Kaspar's death as he did in 1945. :- "I shouldn't have let him walk away. I should have dragged him to the castle with me." :- "We're not here to shame you for that, we just need information on Helmut Schuldiger." :- "You don't understand. You don't want Schuldiger on your side. He killed my friend, and we were supposedly on the same side. He will do the same to you as he did to me." :- "We'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it, Señor Holbrecht. We just want to know where we can find him." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ludwig and Carl had successfully convinced Alois and Sepp to seek refuge in the castle. The four men descended from the mountain by going down a steep incline, nearly slipping and breaking a limb on the foot of the mountain. Once all four men made it down the mountain, their advance continued. In their surroundings, pine trees extended above them, and a small creek emptying into the nearby Lake Constance rolled gently on their right flank. Beyond the pine grove lay Castle Flammenberg, surrounded by scarce vegetation, and with a paved road leading into its Western entrance. Ludwig took point, guiding Sepp, Alois and Carl through the grove. "Keep your eyes open for snipers in the trees."